Influential Malcolm Sitcom Is Getting a Reboot

Nearly 20 years after it went off the air, Malcolm in the Middle is getting a four-episode reboot on Disney+, reports Variety. Stars Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston, and Jane Kaczmarek have signed on, as they reveal in this video. In the show that ran on Fox from 2000 to 2006, Muniz played young genius Malcolm, while Cranston (before his Breaking Bad days) and Kaczmarek played parents Hal and Lois. Deadline calls it "one of the most influential comedy series of the new millennium," with its single-camera format paving the way for shows including The Office and Arrested Development.

The hook for the reboot is Hal and Lois' 40th anniversary party. Malcolm will be there with his wife and daughter. It's not clear how many other regulars will be back, per the New York Times. Deadline notes that Christopher Kennedy Masterson and Justin Berfield, who played older sons Francis and Reese, are safe bets. Less likely is Erik Per Sullivan, who played little brother Dewey, given that he quit acting when the show ended. No date has yet been scheduled for the reboot. (More Frankie Muniz stories.)